Frowd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Frowd

What does the name Frowd mean?

The roots of the Frowd name go back to the ancient Vikings and their Old Norse language. Frowd was a name for a clever person. The nickname comes from the Old Norse, and was brought to Scotland by Viking Raiders who settled in the Orkney Islands in the 9th century, after being evicted from their holdings in Norway. Those settlers were led by Sigurd the Stout. There is also a place-name Frude, found in Tweedsmuir, Peebles (now part of the Strathclyde and Border regions). It is possible that the surname came from the place-name, however, the opposite derivation is more probable.

Early Origins of the Frowd family

The surname Frowd was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Frowd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frowd research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1544 is included under the topic Early Frowd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frowd Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Frowd has been spelled Froud, Froude, Frowd, Frowde, Frude, Frood and others.

Early Notables of the Frowd family

More information is included under the topic Early Frowd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frowd migration to Canada +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Frowd:

Frowd Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Frowd, who settled in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, in 1766 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Frowd (post 1700) +

Henry Frowd, American historian and researcher, known for his book "What Rome Was Built With. A Description of the Stones Employed in Ancient Times for Its Building and Decoration by Mary Winearls Porter" (1908)
Vicky Frowd, Australian actress, known for What Do We Want? (2022)

Sources +

Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0